After a strong 2023 campaign at wide receiver for the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons, UMHB alum Blake Jackson is headed to St. Louis.
A 2016 All-America selection and the quarterback on UMHB’s 2016 Stagg Bowl team, Jackson was selected by the St. Louis Battlehawks of the newly-formed United Football League (UFL) in Friday’s dispersal draft. It marks the sixth team that Jackson has been part of since making his professional debut with the Calgary Stampeders in 2018.
“God is Good!” wrote Jackson on X/Twitter on Friday. “Let’s get to work @XFLBattlehawks!”
The Houston native joins the Battlehawks after a 2023 season in which he tallied 45 receptions for 440 yards and two touchdowns. He had the fifth-most receptions of any player in the XFL and ranked ninth in receiving yards. Jackson averaged 9.8 yards per catch in 10 games for Seattle, helping the Sea Dragons to an appearance in the XFL’s North Division Championship on April 30.
While at UMHB, Jackson rushed for 1,619 yards during three seasons, while throwing for 4,311 yards. He ranks second in program history in passing yards in a single season (3,282), second touchdown passes in a season (35), second in completions in a season (235), and third in career completion percentage (63.9%). His 49 career touchdown passes is fifth all-time in UMHB history.
He notably led UMHB to its first national title in 2016, as The Cru posted a 15-0 record en route to a 10-7 win over UW-Oshkosh in the Stagg Bowl. Jackson scored UMHB’s lone touchdown in that contest on a one-yard run with 3:16 left in the second quarter. Against UWO, Jackson threw for 171 yards and rushed for 119.
The St. Louis Battlehawks are one of four XFL teams to be included in the XFL-USFL merger, along with the Arlington Renegades, DC Defenders, and San Antonio Brahmas. The three USFL teams retained are the Birmingham Stallions, Memphis Showboats, and Michigan Panthers. The Houston Roughnecks are a combination of each league’s Houston-based team, forming the new eight-team league for the 2024 season.
St. Louis is coming off a 7-3 season in 2023. The schedule for the upcoming season is in the works.
